BOYS' SOCCER: Shippensburg holds off Greencastle-Antrim

GREENCASTLE — It exemplified how the second half of the season has unfolded.

Despite numerous opportunities to take control against Shippensburg Tuesday night, the Greencastle-Antrim boys' soccer team was unable to cash in until 6:39 remained in regulation, culminating into a 2-1 Mid-Penn Colonial Division loss.

The outcome will almost certainly bring the Blue Devils' campaign to a close, with G-A (8-9-1) on the outside looking in at the District 3 playoffs.

Prior to Tuesday, the Blue Devils were ranked 18th in the Class AA power ratings, with a win and some help possibly allowing them to sneak into the top-16 qualifiers. Ultimately, the same scoring struggles that have lingered for the better part of the last month erased that hope.

"We had chances, but we just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net," G-A coach Scott Gelsinger said. "We really got after it in the second half and I'm very proud of the effort. We've just struggled to score lately and that was again the case tonight."

After starting the season 6-1-1, the Blue Devils lost eight of their final 10 games, scoring only nine total goals over the span.

Tuesday's contest was a tale of two halves, with the Greyhounds (13-5) setting the tempo in the first before G-A showcased a sense of urgency in the second.

Matt West granted Shippensburg the early lead from roughly 30 yards out, rocketing a shot on goal that went off the hands of keeper Josh Ehko before carrying across the line for a 1-0 advantage at 25:10 in the first.

The Blue Devils' best opportunity of the opening 40 minutes came literally seconds later, as Jacob Kline sent a cross to a charging Ian Rohrbaugh, who's well-struck redirection rattled off the crossbar, keeping the one-goal deficit intact.

The pace dramatically shifted in the second, as G-A dominated the possession battle through the first 15 minutes, producing numerous chances to draw even.

A corner that found Rohrbaugh directly in front was somehow turned away before Justin Hovey rocketed a free kick off the left post, acting as two prominent examples.

G-A continued to press, with another corner producing a scrum in the box only to have the ball pop free the other way, allowing Shippensburg to take advantage of its speed.

A lengthy entry pass that deflected off a Blue Devil defender ensued, producing a one-on-one chance for the Greyhounds' Levi Varner, with the striker tracking down the loose ball prior to sending a shot past a challenging Ehko, putting Ship ahead 2-0 with 21:04 to play.

Needing an answer, G-A finally found one with less than seven minutes remaining, as Rohrbaugh sent a pass ahead to Kline, who out-ran a pair of Greyhound defenders before beating Shippensburg keeper Reece Dolbin inside the far post, cutting the margin to one.

Page 2 of 2 - With G-A feeding off its newly-found momentum, Dolbin made the decisive save of the game a little more than two minutes later, as Rohrbaugh made a pair of gorgeous moves en route to lacing a shot from point-blank range. Showcasing poise and athleticism, Dolbin dove to his right a sent the shot wide, essentially sealing the deal.

"Ship is a good, physical team," Gelsinger said. "I thought we matched that tonight, but they took advantage of more chances than we did."

The Blue Devils held an 8-6 edge in shots on goal while maintaining a 6-3 margin in corners.